Machine for filling valve bags



Dec. 3, 1946. c, A, ADAMS 2,412,026

MACHINE FOR FILLING VALVE BAGS Fil ed Nov. 18, 1945' INVENTOR. 16 CLARKAUST/NADAMS BY A T TORNE Y Patented Dec. 3, 1946 MACHINE FOR FILLING VALVE BAGS Clark Austin Adams, Limona, Fla, assignor to,

Tennessee Corporation, New York, N. Y., a 001'?- poration of New York Application November 18, 1943, Serial No. 510,737

The invention relates to machines for filling bags provided with valves, commonly referred to as valve bags, and more particularly to filling machines of the automatic type for filling said bags to a predetermined weight with granular and non-granular solid materials as exemplified, for instance, by granular phosphate known in the trade as granulated triple superphosphate, and ungranulated superphosphate, respectively.

In practice, with existing filling machines of the indicated type, the filling tube of the machine extends through the valve of a bag being filled, the relative dimensions generally being such that a small opening is left between the said filling tube and the bottom of said valve. During the initial stage of a filling operation this opening is sufiicient to allow for the escape of the air in the bag and any air brought in with the material. As the filling operation proceeds, however, and the bag begins to fill, it expands in width and decreases in length, thus closing the aforesaid opening. In addition, the solid granular material flows out of the filling tube down one side of the bag being filled, and thereby blocks off the aforesaid opening from the major portion of the air contained in said bag. From this it is clear that the only escape for the air in the bag during a filling operation with existing apparatus is through the material coming in by way of the filling tube, and out through the loading and conveying equipment of the filling machine. Under such conditions the pressure of air developed and accumulated in the bag as it becomes progressively filled with solid material, finally forces the air out through the filling tube, impeding further progress of material into the bag and slowing down the filling operation, and in some cases even stopping it altogether, until the operator can force an opening for the release of the trapped air. In addition to interfering with or stopping the filling operation, the rush of the released air through the filling tube blows the material being packaged out through the aforesaid loading and conveying equipment onto the machine and the floor on which it stands. When the bag is finally filled, there still remains air trapped in said bag capable of developing a pressure generally sufllcient to fill the filling tube and valve of the bag with the solid material. When the filled bag is removed from the machine this air rushes out through the valve of the bag, causing further spillage. This spillage of material not only causes waste but in addition results in inaccurate bag weights which are required to be adjusted. Considerable loss of time 1 Claim. (01. 226-48) and labor is furthermore involved in the removal of the spilled material from the machine and fioor.

The object of the invention is to provide novel filling means whereby the aforesaid difiiculties and objections are overcome.

The invention contemplates primarily the provision of anovel filling tube designed to allow for the free and progressive escape of air from the bag as it gradually fills with material, and to avoid trapping air in any detrimental amount in said bag during a filling operation.

Other objects will appear from the description hereinafter and the features of novelty will be pointed out in the claim.

In the accompanying drawing,

Fig, 1 is a plan view of the novel filling tube;

Fig. 2 is a side View thereof showing the novel filling tube in filling association with the valve bag; and

Fig. 3 is a cross-section on the line 33 of Fig. 1. i a 4 The filling machine per se may be any conventional construction and type, for instance, as shown in United States patent to Peterson, No. 1,818,091 of August 11, 1931, and in any case includes at least one filling tube l5 suitably mounted in place in communication with a conventional supply hopper or equivalent source of material to be packaged. Suitable means is provided in the machine for controlling the discharge of material through the filling tube I5 in any conventional manner, and in addition said machine in many automatic forms includes weighing means whereby the filling of the bags to a predetermined weight is controlled.

The novel filling tube I5 may itself be of any customary construction, and generally speaking is of curved cross-section with an opening IS in its bottom for the discharge of the material into the bags. The tube'l5 is carried by a bracket ll whereby said tube is mounted in the filling ma-, chine in the conventional manner. As shown in the drawing two filling tubes l5 may be carried by a common bracket I! for alternate or simultaneous use during an operative period of the machine in which said tubes l5 are embodied.

In the novel construction means are associated with the filling tubes 15 for permitting air to escape progressively from the bags during filling thereof.

The bags which are filled by filling apparatus of the type under discussion generally are provided with valves for sealing the bag after filling and customarily are referred to as valve bags. A

3 bag of this type is disclosed in United States Patent to Crawford No. 2,270,842 of January 27, 1942, and is diagrammatically illustrated in Fig. 2 of the instant drawing.

In operation, a bag 20 is placed over the filling tube l5, and conventionally clamped in place with the filling tube [5 extending into the interior of said bag 20, through the valve 2| thereof. When the bag 20 is in place on said filling'tube IS, the air-escape means as exemplified by the bars l8 and I9, establishes free communication between the atmosphere and the interior of said bag 20 or, more specifically, the free air space thereof.

With the filling machine in operation solid material in granular form is discharged through the discharge opening I6 01 the filling tube l5 into the bag 20. As the filling operation proceeds the bag 20 progressively increases in width and decreases in length by the eifect of the gradually rising amount of material which is being discharged by the filling tube I 5. During this operative stage, the air in the bag 20 above the rising material therein is conducted through venting channels to the atmosphere, or in other words is permitted to escape progressively from the interior of the bag 20 during the filling operation. As a result the air pressure in the bag 20 is maintained constant at atmospheric pressure and no air is trapped to develop air pressurewhereby material is spilled and wasted as in existing machines. -When the desired amount of material has been filled into the bag 20, the discharge thereof through the filling tube I5 is cut ofi and the filled bag 20 is removed from the machine and transported away from said machine, for instance, on a suitable conveyor. As the filled bag 20- is removed from the machine, the valve 2| closes automatically to seal the bag 20 and prevent spillage of its contents. I

In the form illustrated, a plurality of members or bars l8 and I!) are secured in any suitable manner to the filling tube l5 in spaced relation preferablyalong the top thereof to form at least one air-venting channel 22. In the specific arrangement shown, three members consisting of a cen- 4 tral bar I8 and two associate bars I! are secured to the top of the tube I5 in spaced parallel relation lengthwise thereof to form two parallel vent- 2 ing channels 22.

When a bag such as the valve bag 20 is in position on the filling tube [5, the venting channel or channels 22 establish free communication between'the atmosphere and theinte'rior of the bag being filled, and thereby permit the air in said bag to escape progressively therefrom during the filling operation.

The novel filling means shown and described herein and in any other arrangement coming within the inventive idea, overcome and avoid all of the disadvantages heretofore present in existing apparatus and in addition increase the capacity of the associated filling machine to a material extent.

Although the present invention has been described in conjunction with preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that modifications and variations may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as those skilled in the art will readily understand. Such variations and modifications are considered to be within the purview and scope of the claim.

'I claim:

Apparatus for filling valve bags comprising a filling tube adapted to extend horizontally inward through a valve of a bag for conveying material into the same, a pair of outer members consisting of independent bars mounted and fixed upon the upper surface of said filling tube and extending lengthwise thereof in spaced parallel relation to each other, and an intermediate member formed by an independent bar mounted and fixed upon said upper surface and extending between and beyond said outer bars at one end in spaced parallel relation with said outer bars to provide spaced parallel open venting channels between adjacent bars for establishing free communication between the atmosphere and the interior of the bag to thereby permit air to progressively escape therefrom during the filling operation.

v CLARK AUSTIN ADAMS. 

